﻿134 
  ORGANISM 
  AND 
  MECHANISM 
  

  

  systems, 
  and 
  their 
  living 
  implies 
  a 
  concatenation 
  of 
  chemico- 
  

   physical 
  processes. 
  But 
  organisms 
  require 
  a 
  science 
  for 
  

   themselves. 
  The 
  organic 
  overlaps 
  the 
  human, 
  for 
  Man 
  is 
  

   affiliated 
  to 
  mammals, 
  and 
  his 
  personality 
  is 
  tethered 
  to 
  

   protoplasm. 
  But 
  Man 
  requires 
  a 
  science 
  for 
  himself. 
  Or, 
  

   if 
  one 
  prefers 
  it, 
  the 
  organic 
  overlaps 
  the 
  psychical, 
  since 
  

   the 
  mind 
  has 
  a 
  body, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  and 
  the 
  spirit 
  works 
  in 
  

   part 
  through 
  the 
  flesh. 
  And, 
  looking 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  direction, 
  

   who 
  can 
  be 
  quite 
  sure 
  that 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  the 
  inorganic 
  is 
  

   as 
  thoroughly 
  exhausted 
  by 
  mechanical 
  formulation 
  as 
  is 
  

   usually 
  supposed 
  ? 
  

  

  The 
  important 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  sciences 
  are 
  differentiated 
  

   not 
  merely 
  by 
  their 
  subject-matter, 
  but 
  by 
  their 
  character- 
  

   istic 
  questions 
  and 
  methods 
  and 
  concepts. 
  In 
  this 
  sense 
  we 
  

   claim 
  autonomy 
  for 
  biology. 
  

  

  In 
  so 
  doing 
  we 
  are 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  least 
  weakening 
  the 
  hope 
  

   and 
  endeavour 
  that 
  biology 
  may 
  approximate 
  more 
  closely 
  

   to 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  an 
  t 
  exact 
  science 
  '. 
  Our 
  sole 
  proviso 
  is 
  

   that 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  attained 
  by 
  the 
  nai've 
  device 
  of 
  leaving 
  

   life 
  out. 
  The 
  honourable 
  rank 
  of 
  exactness 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  the 
  prerogative 
  of 
  sciences 
  which 
  deal 
  

   with 
  processes 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  described 
  " 
  by 
  aid 
  of 
  elementary 
  

   corpuscles 
  having 
  ideal 
  motions 
  ". 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  attained 
  by 
  

   all 
  sciences 
  that 
  have 
  resolutely 
  begun 
  to 
  ' 
  measure 
  ', 
  in- 
  

   cluding 
  in 
  ' 
  measurement 
  ' 
  every 
  form 
  of 
  precise 
  registra- 
  

   tion. 
  Thus 
  not 
  a 
  little 
  of 
  modern 
  psychology 
  is 
  very 
  exact, 
  

   although 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  its 
  subject-matter 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  ideal 
  

   motions 
  is 
  certainly 
  not 
  its 
  end! 
  Biology 
  is 
  inexact 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  gravitational 
  astronomy, 
  partly 
  because 
  there 
  

   have 
  been 
  more 
  first-class 
  minds 
  among 
  the 
  astronomers 
  than 
  

   among 
  the 
  biologists, 
  partly 
  because 
  in 
  biology 
  we 
  deal 
  with 
  

   phenomena 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  measure 
  than 
  those 
  with 
  

  

  